A geographical area defined by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a result of the Modified Final Judgement (MFJ) that broke up the AT&T Bell System on January 1, 1984. The Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) and their component Bell Operating Companies (BOCs) were prevented from offering interLATA toll services, i.e., long distance calling services that crossed LATA boundaries. Initially, the BOCs had the exclusive rights to offer intraLATA toll service, also known as local long distance, within the confines of the 196 defined LATAs. LATAs now serve primarily as reference points for call rating and routing. See also BOC, FCC, MFJ, and RBOC.